On a day in which we celebrate the birth of our great country, it seems only fitting that we also share the love story of these two San Antonio sweeties; a love story that started with a letter from a soldier in Afghanistan to the President of the United States. It's the kind of straight-from-a-movie fairytale that will make you weak in the knees and it all culminated with one breathtakingly romantic wedding that will kick off your 4th of July celebrations in the loveliest of ways. Promise me you'll read the entire heartwarming story below (it's awesome) and then jump in the gallery for all of the pretty captured by Kurtis Kronk Photography. It's a holiday must-see.

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From the bride... I love our story. It's truly like a fairytale to me. I haven't found a great way to explain it quickly other than Bart was deployed to Afghanistan and decided to write President Bush a letter. I was on the receiving end of that letter, and we continued to correspond for several months, ultimately leading to us meeting a month after he returned home.

Once we started dating, it did not take us long to decide we wanted to get married. One year after Bart returned home from Afghanistan, we were engaged. I knew I wanted to get married in Texas and sort of had this vision of warm, rustic elegance with a touch of vintage romance. I wanted the room to be inviting, exude love, and allow for lots of celebration and dancing. We landed on San Antonio because we both love the Riverwalk, and Bart had lived there for awhile during his time with the Air Force. I like that because I wanted Bart to have a connection to the place as well, and being from Indiana, that was his main Texas tie until he met me. We also wanted a place where all of our guests enjoy their trip and have plenty to do at their own pleasure. Where better than the Riverwalk?

It was important to me that our story be connected to some of the wedding details. From the correspondence at the very beginning to the long distance relationship throughout our courtship, it seemed appropriate to host the reception at the Historic Sunset Station and to use vintage post cards for seating. We chose the old-fashioned Rolls Royce to pull in that vintage romance vibe. I chose ivory, cream, yellow, and brown as the colors because they are happy and warm, and they bring the perfect blend of fancy and casual.

We were thrilled with our choice of vendors. In the thick of all the decision-making, I was a bit stressed. When it came to choosing photographers, I knew I wanted to make the right choice since the photos last forever and help you re-live your day (trust me brides-to-be, you will be dying to do so). I couldn't be more pleased with my final decision, Kurtis Kronk Photography. He was very prompt in responding to all of my inquiries from the get-go. That doesn't happen with all your vendors, and when you're juggling so much, a quick response is a bride's dream. Kurtis takes his job seriously, but he also takes your day and your vision equally seriously. He made an effort to capture my style and vision, and his pictures are breathtakingly vivid. He almost feels like your brother by the time your wedding arrives. I was very comfortable around him and knew I could trust him to take care of his job. It was one less thing I had to worry about, which was awesome. His assistant, MT, is the icing on the cake. She is there to help with anything that comes up, and there will be something. From helping the MOB into her dress to cleaning up spills and dress fixes, she stays calm and happy to assist. Along with all my bridesmaids and my mother, I was relieved to have her around and enjoyed her. It's like they go beyond photography duty but don't get in the way of anything. They realize it is an all hands on deck type of thing, but keep it all about you and your man. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ease of payments, picture review, and contract. It's all online, you get a payment reminder, and it's user-friendly. It was the most convenient process I had with any vendor. And one final thing, you can be honest with Kurtis on your preferences and worries, and he will gladly work with you. Best choice!

Teresa at TPC was awesome. She is such a sweet and pleasant person. She stays on top of her duties and responds quickly. She kept me updated just the right amount and knew exactly what I was envisioning. I felt like she understood what I wanted and was determined to make it work. She was flexible in making adjustments to stay in budget and still create the florals I dreamed of. I was impressed with her recreation of photos I pinned or sent to her.

It was great to meet Natalie Hart from Country Sugar, and it was a pleasure to work with her. She has good taste and I appreciated her work with the band and the transportation vendors.

Frank at Event Ignition was a great guy who was more than willing to work with me to stay on budget and get the exact chandeliers I wanted. I was grateful for that since chandeliers were a major part of my vision that I didn't want to sacrifice.

Alamo HD had great service, great communication, great quality and a great price. They were reliable and customer friendly and I would use them again.

We knew we wanted all of our friends and family to have an awesome time, so we really wanted a great band. The Pictures were awesome. They sang everything and were right on. I told them I wanted people on the dance floor the whole night, and they sure delivered. We had a ball.

It was the best day of our lives, and celebrating that with our loved ones was icing on the cake.